The present work forms part of an important series of paintings that Priestman embarked on in the mid 1890s and which dwell on the grandeur of resting or abandoned ships. The surrounding landscape is likely to be the Suffolk and Essex estuaries near where he had settled a few years earlier. Priestman?s landscapes, whether in their depictions of tugs, boatyards, or steamers carry theconstant reminder of man?s effect on the landscape. Such details contribute to him being counted amongst the most original artists to bridge the divide between Victorian and Edwardian painting. In his day he exhibited equally alongside figures like Philip Wilson Steer and Henry Tonks. Like those artists he looked beyond his own shores to the modern influence of Whistler and it is no coincidence that he enjoyed success initially exhibiting at the New English Art Club during its heyday. Later he included amongst his pupils the young Edward Seago on whose work he had a profound influence.

The present work is to be shown in Three Centuries of British Art at the Shepherd and Derom Galleries, New York in late September and October 2011. For more information also contact the gallery: